Counting on Forever Chapter 4

Everything was dark and all he could feel was pain. He could feel himself breathing so he knew he was alive…but damn if the pain in his head and in his heart wouldn't stop. He supposed that was probably a good thing, though, since if he felt pain it meant he was still alive. Because if he was dead, he wouldn't feel pain right? Oh but how he wished he WASN'T feeling this pain…everything had gone so, so wrong…

"You have to get up," he heard a voice, a gruff, IRRITATED voice, say. He wanted to punch that person in the face. Didn't they know how much he was hurting right now? Gah couldn't they just give him five freaking minutes to adjust!

"Look dude…we have shit to do. Get off your sorry ass so we can get to work," he wondered then who this voice was and what they had to do. He also wondered why everything was still dark. How was he even hearing this voice if he was unconscious? Whatever…he thought, just deciding to accept whatever was going on. Because, really, he was probably just hallucinating now.

"The boss is going to kick my ass if you're not okay so I need you to get up off your sorry ass and help me out here." He wanted to growl at the person…man…intruding upon his foray into unconsciousness. Seriously…who does that to another man after what he's been through today?

"Holy shit you killed him," he heard another man's voice say as footsteps approached him. This man's voice sounded…not angry but…impressed maybe? "I didn't know you had it in you to go against the boss!" Yep. Definitely impressed then; it pissed him off. Who gets impressed when someone kills somebody else?

"No I didn't kill him," the first man's voice responded in an angry growl. "He's just unconscious still."

"Well then what the hell do we do now?" the second man asked, his voice now sounding oddly dejected.

"How the fuck would I know?!" angry man answered, "We just wait for him to wake up I guess."

"When I signed up to take this job with the boss I thought it was going to be more interesting…" the second man grumbled in response. He heard shuffling in the background, like the man had moved away from where he was lying prone on the floor and wondered, again, what was going on. Obviously these two men knew him…somehow…but how did they know him, who were they, and what did they need to do?

He sighed internally as he thought over everything that had happened the past six months as he had been held captive, waiting for himself to fully wake from his unconscious state. First he and his unit had been ambushed. Then he and his teammate had been captured, leaving the other three guys on their team on their own in hostile territory (and he hoped with all his heart they had gotten out). After realizing the enemy captured him, he had had to endure months of torture for no discernable purpose until finally, finally, he had been reunited with his teammate only for them both to be harmed in front of one another. Remembering what had happened last, he quickly turned his mind away from the event. It would do him no good now. Nor would thinking about his comrade…

Ugh if only his mind would fully come out from unconsciousness! It was irritating him to be locked inside his own head. He felt completely aware now of everything going on around him, but he just couldn't open his damn eyes! What had happened to him? He was tired of the own thoughts in his mind…

With another mental sigh, he decided to think about his girl back home until his brain released its grip on itself rather than the situation he was in. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. Beautiful, kind, willing to put up with his shit and call him on it…she was just…wonderful. He knew that he wasn't the best man in the world, he has his shortcomings like everyone else, but when he was with her…he felt like he could do anything. He could climb the tallest mountain, defeat the strongest enemy, swim across the ocean. There was nothing he couldn't do with her on his side. She was his light, his life. She was just perfect for him.

Rather suddenly, he felt his shoulders being shaken and his brain felt like it was being rattled around in his skull. It definitely DID NOT help the pain that was still coursing through him that he had been somewhat effectively ignoring. Oh when he was fully aware and able to control himself these two idiots were so going to get it…

"Cobra! What the hell man!" the first man's voice thundered out, making him internally wince, "You're going to give him brain damage and then what use is he to us!"

"I'm. Tired. Of. Waiting," the second man, apparently Cobra, growled, emphasizing each of his words with a shake.

"Cobra," a third male voice, this one much calmer, called out, "Why are you shaking my unconscious brother?" He wanted to laugh out loud as he recognized his voice. It was Erza's husband, Jellal. Wait. What was Jellal doing here?!

"Erm…no reason boss," the man called Cobra said sheepishly. He heard Cobra suck in a shaky breath and wished he could see Jellal's expression. "Uh I mean I was trying to see if he would wake up! You know like they sometimes do with coma patients in the movies!"

"You do recall this is a RESCUE mission, don't you, Cobra?" Jellal said, his voice still eerily calm; he wished he could see Jellal's expression, knowing based upon his tone that it would be a sight to behold. "As the rescuers, we are supposed to refrain from causing our charges more harm. And you are causing this man, who has endured six months of torture, more harm. Maybe I should have brought Racer along on this mission over you?"

He heard someone's jaw audibly snap closed at Jellal's comment, most likely Cobra's, before he heard the first man's voice erupt in a fit of laughter. It sounded…bizarre, not like a typical person's laugh…more like a "gi-hi". Then Cobra started spluttering out reasons why he was better suited for this mission than that person, Racer, and how he was really only trying to help and blah blah…

"Enough Cobra," he heard Jellal say resignedly. He could just picture Jellal shaking his head tiredly as he brushed his bright blue hair out of his face. "And Gajeel…why is he still unconscious? It's been three hours already. He should have woken up by now."

"I don't know," he heard the first man's voice, obviously this Gajeel, say. "I did exactly what you told me to do. Maybe his system just couldn't handle it."

"He isn't weak," Jellal said quietly, "You need to watch what you're insinuating. Once he wakes up we will have a lot of explaining to do, and fast. Otherwise he'll kick all of our asses."

Gajeel let out that bizarre laugh again as he said, "With his injuries? I seriously doubt it. He looks like he's been through hell and back."

"You would know," Cobra said suddenly, venomously, "You got to actually interact with both of them before we were able to get her on our side."

"Hey I did my best to hold back," Gajeel shot back, "Do you even know how hard it is to pretend to be a member of an organization like Grimoire Heart? I couldn't NOT do what I was told; they would have caught on."

"Enough," Jellal said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Until he awakens, we just have to wait. Once he's awake we can explain everything then. Oh and Gajeel…if he DOESN'T wake up…you're going to be the one who has to explain to my wife why this mission wasn't a complete success."

He wished he were awake to take in the men's expressions. He had felt the temperature of the room drop at least ten degrees as soon as Jellal mentioned Erza, and he couldn't blame them for their fear; Erza was one scary woman. Not that he was saying HE was afraid of her…but he could see how she would intimidate others. He did wonder, though, when they had met her…and why he didn't know them. Perhaps this was Jellal's personal team? Jellal was a different branch of special ops than he and his team so…it was possible.

"He twitched!" Cobra suddenly shouted, loudly, and right next to his ear…

"What do you mean he twitched?" Jellal said, some color finally coming into his monotone voice.

"I mean he twitched! His hand moved! That means he's fine, right?" Cobra said. He heard more footsteps approaching his prone form on the floor and felt himself tense up at the nearness of the three men. Even though he knew they were friendlies, mostly because Jellal was there, he still could not help his instinctual response. He had been through so much in his military career that being alert and combat ready was like second nature. Although right now it hurt like hell preparing his body for a battle that he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get in…even if it sounded VERY tempting to beat the ones named Cobra and Gajeel to a pulp…

"Your body is awakening, my friend," he heard Jellal say to him; he wanted to roll his eyes. It was obvious whatever had had its grip upon his body was finally fading away. "That is a very good sign. I had been concerned, thinking Gajeel had overdone it."

"Hey!" Gajeel objected in his rough tone, "I told you I did exactly what you told me to do! If something went wrong it went wrong on Cobra's end."

"Like hell I did!" Cobra then chimed in. "You probably just hit him in the wrong spot, trying to 'fit in' with what Grimoire Heart wanted you to do."

Gajeel growled at that and he heard Jellal sigh as the sounds of fists hitting flesh reached him. Were those two idiots seriously fighting? They sounded just as bad as his teammates…

"Idiots…" he heard Jellal mutter under his breath. He couldn't help but agree as he listened to their snarls. "ENOUGH!" Jellal roared not a moment later. If he had control of his body, he would have smirked; Jellal very, very rarely seemed to get angry and those two had riled him up in the matter of minutes.

"We still have a job to do," Jellal snarled at his teammates and he could just feel the Erza-like glare coming from his brother. He wished he could chuckle; Jellal and Erza had been married for five years and it was pretty obvious some of her more…intimidating tendencies were rubbing off on him. "Have you already forgotten there are more people involved in this rescue operation than just him? So knock your shit OFF!"

Almost immediately he heard the other two men stop their fighting. Hm…he never knew Jellal could be such a badass. Erza really must be rubbing off on her calmer, more stable husband. That or Jellal was drawing upon his younger, more delinquent days. How Jellal could have been involved in some unsavory acts still threw him…Jellal just seemed so normal compared to the rest of their family.

Slowly, oh so slowly, he was able to open his eyes for the first time in hours. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light of the room but once he did, he saw Jellal's face smiling down at him, his crimson tattoo his most prominent feature besides his vibrant blue hair.

"Welcome back…Laxus."

"Hey. You. You need to get up now," he groaned as he heard a woman's voice directly next to his ear. What was going on? Who was talking to him?

"Natsu," the female voice said, sounding less cold now and more annoyed, "I've been trying to wake you up for…hours. Get off your ass so we can get going. The others are waiting for us."

Wait…Natsu knew this woman's voice…it was that woman. That Ultear lady. The one working with the bastards who had murdered his commander and brother in front of his eyes. He almost smiled as he imagined how he was going to get his revenge on her and her sorry comrades…especially the pierced man who had stabbed his friend in the heart. Natsu kept his arms by his sides, though, pretending to still be mostly unconscious as he realized he was no longer chained. Perfect, he thought maliciously.

With a mighty roar, Natsu's eyes flew open at the same time his hands reached out to grab Ultear by the throat. He stood as he maintained his tight grip on Ultear, his muscles barely feeling the strain as righteous anger flooded him. He was not going to let her get away…or scream for help. Natsu snarled in her face as he slammed her back into the wall, keeping her feet off of the ground. Surprisingly, she did not look the least bit shocked or even concerned. Natsu growled low as he took in her complete lack of worry; he would show her EXACTLY why he was not to be messed with.

"Who did it?" he demanded, his voice low and gravelly. "Who killed Laxus? Tell me. Now. Or I will make sure they will never be able to put you back together again." Ultear's eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the rage emanating from Natsu. Her master and comrades had very obviously underestimated this man; she would not make the same mistake.

"No one killed Laxus," she said, her voice scratchy as she struggled to get enough air to speak through Natsu's grasp on her throat. She glared at him, irritated, but he only glared right back, not letting up in the slightest. Her vision was beginning to swim a bit, but she had to get through to him. Jellal would go back on his promise if she didn't get Natsu to cooperate.

"I watched him die," Natsu hissed, bringing his face even closer to Ultear's, until they were practically nose-to-nose. She struggled to gulp as she saw the hatred in the pink haired man's eyes. Never had she felt so completely intimidated, or at a loss as to how to proceed. Laxus really WASN'T dead; Gajeel had just drugged him with the bizarre prop knife slash needle thing Jellal had given him. But how to get that through to Natsu?

"It was a trick," Ultear was barely able to gasp out as Natsu's grip tightened minutely. "It was a trick for Zancrow and the others. Gajeel took him out to meet up with the rest of Jellal's team."

"Jellal is here?" Natsu asked, stunned enough to release Ultear. She fell to the floor, sputtering and gasping for breath. Gratefully she dragged breath after breath into her lungs, massaging the spot Natsu had grabbed her before she glared up at him. Slowly, carefully, trying hard not to provoke him, she stood, straightening her clothes once she was standing fully.

"Yes," Ultear replied, still feeling like she was treading on quick sand with Natsu, "He and his team infiltrated Grimoire Heart months ago. Once they realized you and Laxus were being held here, they immediately initiated a rescue operation. I have been assisting them." Natsu scrutinized her closely then and voiced a question she really did not want to have to answer.

"Why?" he asked, continuing to look her over even as she marveled at the fact that he was still standing with his innumerable injuries. "Why would you help them? When Zancrow was here earlier and you interrupted, it seemed you were higher up on the totem pole, so to speak, than he is. Why are you helping us?"

"I have my own reasons," she snapped back, tired of having to answer that one question and his relentless staring, "Jellal trusts me and that should be enough for you." Natsu just scoffed at that.

"I do trust Jellal," Natsu said, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to look her over, "I don't trust you. Tell me why or I'll knock you out and leave you here to rot with the rest of your organization." Ultear could only stare at him in shock as he finished speaking. He was going to knock her out? The man, who had just held her against the wall, using up what was probably left of his very limited strength, was going to knock her out and leave her to rot? The idea was laughable. So she did the only thing that came to mind. She laughed.

"You are going to knock me out, and leave me here?" she asked, chortling. "Do you even realize the state your body is in? You're weak. And even if by some miracle you DID knock me out, how would you get out of here? Do you know the way? Do you know the rotation of the guards? Do you know how to avoid every single person who could cause trouble for you? Not to mention if you DID get out of here you would have to deal with Jellal for leaving me behind."

"I don't really care about how upset Jellal would be," Natsu said with a shrug, "IF he would even be upset that is. I can get out of here, even without your 'insider' help. And I'll take out every person who comes across my path as I do so; this place needs to go down." Ultear admired for a moment the fire in the man's eyes. He was so convicted! More so than even Jellal, the man who had convinced her to work with him for the greater good…

"Look…" Ultear said with a sigh, "We have wasted enough time as it is. Please believe me when I say my reasons are my own… Jellal and I have been working for MONTHS to bring down my 'organization', as you so aptly put it. I realize I made a terrible mistake working for Master Hades and with my former team, the Seven Kin of Purgatory. I can't erase the mistakes I have made, the awful things I have done…but I can try and help you right now. Natsu I can get you out of here. I can get you back with Laxus and then we, Jellal's team and myself, can get you back home. Don't you want to go home, Natsu? See that girl of yours? Finally marry her?"

Natsu drew back like she had struck him at the mention of his girl. Yes…he really did want to go home. He really, REALLY wanted to see Lucy again…to finally marry her and make good on the promise he had made her. His promise to stay with her forever. But he just couldn't trust this woman, could he? These people had held him captive for six months. Had been beaten, tortured, tormented, humiliated, degraded…every bad thing anyone could possibly imagine had probably been done to him in the time he had been here. How was he just supposed to let all of that go and trust her?

Ultear sighed as she shut her eyes tightly. She wasn't getting through to him. What had Jellal told her to call him? It had started with an 'S' she was sure of it…but what was it?

"Look…" she started, wondering what else she could possibly say without giving away her secret. When his eyes met hers again, his deep dark pools meeting hers, she realized there was literally nothing she could say except the truth if she wanted him to follow her. It grated on her, having to share her secret with yet another person, but maybe he could help make sure she stayed safe… "Look Salamander," she heard his gasp as she FINALLY remembered the name Jellal told her, but she didn't stop, "I've been working against Grimoire Heart for the better part of eight months to ensure my daughter's safety. Jellal and his team haven't been home for the past eight months because they have been trying to help me bring them down. My daughter, Meredy, cannot be safe unless this organization is brought down. Discovering that you and Laxus were being held here was the perfect excuse we needed to finally bring them down."

Her daughter… Natsu's mind was reeling. She had called him Salamander. Only his family called him that and there was no way she could possibly know that was his nickname. And if she had a daughter she was trying to protect… He looked her in the eye again, trying to gauge whether she was being honest or not. Sincerity shone out of her brown eyes and her expression was pleading. It looked like it was killing her slightly to look at him like that and somehow Natsu knew that she was normally much more proud. It struck him that she was essentially lowering herself to convince him of her genuineness.

"Your daughter…Meredy…how old is she?" Natsu asked quietly, his eyes thoughtful. Ultear felt something inside her inflate with happiness as she realized Natsu was beginning to believe her.

"She's fifteen," she responded, her voice just as soft as his had been. "I joined Grimoire Heart when she was younger…when I found her and adopted her, I didn't realize how much she would change me. Watching her grow up with this organization surrounding her…I knew I couldn't continue to let it stand. I couldn't continue to be a part of Grimoire Heart if I were going to be a good mother to her." Natsu just nodded as he moved towards the door of his cell, his legs shaking slightly as he walked across the room.

Ultear worried as she watched him walk. He wasn't healthy. Would she even be able to get him out? She knew her getting him out was a huge part of their plan, but he was so unsteady now that adrenaline wasn't coursing through his body. If she didn't get him out, would that mean they wouldn't get Meredy out? Her heart froze at the thought even as Natsu motioned impatiently for her to join him at the door, his ear pressed to it in an attempt to hear what was going on outside.

"Natsu…" she said softly, but he just shushed her as he turned back to look at her, a wide smile on his face.

"Stop your worrying, Ultear," he said, his infectious grin beginning to affect her, "We're all getting out. You guys have a plan, right? Well now you also have me. I'll make sure you and your daughter get out of here. Then we can all go home together. Sound good?"

Ultear could not stop the smile that spread across her face in response to his words. How he had managed to win her over in the few short minutes they had talked, she would never know. How he had managed to reassure her with so few words, she would never know that either. Natsu was a one of a kind person. She reached forward then, shifting around him to put her hand on the door handle.

"I promised Lucy forever, Ultear," he said, his hand suddenly covering her own on the door handle before she could turn it. She looked at him quizzically but he just smiled. "I promised to always come home to her; that I would always be safe. I'll make sure you can keep that same promise to your daughter."

Blinking back sudden tears, which was NOT like her at all, Ultear gave Natsu a brilliant smile as she pressed down on the door handle. Here went nothing…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh my gosh I can't believe how many more views and everything I got after that latest chapter! You guys are just…amazing. Seriously thank you so much! By the way…I SO wanted to end this chapter at Laxus's awakening but I thought that would be too cruel, as well as ridiculously short lol. And I know I said in chapter two that I was only thinking about making this maybe four chapters and an epilogue long…but now I have to say it's going to be probably six chapters long and an epilogue, if people really want to see what happens next lol.

To all of my guest reviewers: I am so glad to see you all reviewed! I really wish I could personally respond to your reviews, but since you reviewed as a guest I am not able to, so let me just thank you here!

AND AS ALWAYS…I own nothing. Fairy Tail and Just a Dream are owned by their respective owners, Hiro Mashima and Carrie Underwood/Carrie Underwood's record company (which is not something I know off the top of my head nor care to Google lol).